Contract of Sale
Completion of the booking process and acceptance of our terms and conditions forms your contract with Studio Pottery London (hereafter, referred in these terms and conditions as ‘the Studio’). We do not accept refunds at the Studio. However, we would consider changing the name of the pupil attendee.
Sessions and Classes are booked on a first-come first-served basis. A participant may use the waiting list facility on the website in the event that his/her first choice of session or class is unavailable. If a participant joins the waiting list for a particular session or class and then books that session or class his/her booking will be subject to these Terms and Conditions.
Gift Cards are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Upon redemption of a gifted card, the Class or Session booking will be subject to these Terms and Conditions.
Payment
Payment of the full course fees should be made in advance, and the required prompts will be in place at the time of placing a booking. It is not possible to attend a course until payment has been received.
Cancellation Policy
Class cancellations and/or changes must be made via the Mindbody booking platform 48 hours before the time/date of the class. For cancellations less than 2 days before the start of a class, the purchaser will be charged a cancellation fee at the total cost of the class.
If a course or workshop is cancelled by the Studio you will be offered the option to transfer the booking to an alternative available class.
Once you have committed to a course or workshop, we recommend that you attend the scheduled number of sessions to get the most out of the programme. If the participant fails to attend all or any part of the course the full course fees are payable and we do not guarantee full or partial course date transfers.
For no shows, the full course fee is payable and we do not guarantee course date transfers.
Delegate Substitution
A substitute delegate may be named at any time before the course at no additional cost.
Transfer
Requests to transfer to an alternative days or date must be made in writing by email. Transfers may be made up to 7 days before the class date and will incur no additional fee. However, transfers are subject to availability and there in no guarantee that suitable alternatives are available.
Bookings have a validity of one year from the date of purchase. Any Session or Class booking transfers can be rearranged for an alternative date within the year’s contract of sale. Bookings beyond a years’ expiry will be void of date transfer.
Requests for subsequent booking transfers will be treated as class cancellations. We do not accept returns, only exchanges on ceramics purchased from Studio Pottery London.
Course Content
The Studio reserve the right to change the timing, date or instructor of the course in order to provide a high quality service or where it is necessary for reasons beyond the Studio’s control.
Course Cancellations
Studio Pottery London reserves the right to cancel a course up to and including the date of the course if insufficient bookings have been received and will strive to give as much notice to booked participants as possible.
Individuals booked onto a cancelled course will be given the option of a full refund or of rescheduling to a future course date if available. Studio Pottery London will not be liable for any losses or expenses arising from amendments to the course or cancellations.
Late Attendance
It is the responsibility of the participant to arrive ahead and in time for their booked class. It is down to the discretion of the tutor to not accept a late arrival to a course, if their late arrival is potentially detrimental to fellow students. This will be treated as a late cancellation, for which the full course fee will be payable.
Membership
A person shall only become a Member of the Studio when he/she has completed the Registration Form and his/her application for Membership has been accepted by the Studio. At such time, the Member shall be deemed to have irrevocably agreed to these Terms and Conditions.
Subject to any statutory right of cancellation, payments for Memberships and Classes are non-refundable unless otherwise stated in these Terms and Conditions.
Any Member who purchases membership by subscription shall be entitled to use the Studio for up to and only 18 hours in any week. Weekly hours less than the 18-hours per week cannot be carried over.
A Member may only book or reschedule any session for himself/herself via his/her personal Studio booking facility via the Mindbody app.
Membership fees must be paid in accordance with these Terms and Conditions irrespective of whether or not the Member uses the Studio’s facilities.
Membership fees may be increased at the Company’s discretion. Members shall be given at least 10 working days’ notice of any increase in Membership fees.
Studio Classes and Sessions fall out of a Member’s Membership. A Member may not attend any Class or Session hosted at the Studio without first booking and paying for the relevant Class or Session.
To reserve a Class with Resident Potter, Gregory Tingay, booking/payment must be received by the earlier of 14 days prior to the scheduled start date or (if booked sooner, at the time of booking). Cancellations must be made in accordance with the class cancellation terms listed above. Please liaise with Becky to book your members tutorial if you are on a six or twelve month contract.
A Member is entitled to use the Studio’s facilities during its opening hours and subject to these Terms and Conditions provided always that the Company may at any time without notice withdraw all or part of its facilities for any period or periods in connection with any cleaning, repair, alteration or maintenance work or for any other reasons.
Neither Studio Pottery London nor Studio staff are responsible for personal belongings or any work getting damaged, lost or stolen. Although we work tirelessly to minimise damage to any work it is inevitable that in communal studio such as this there will occasionally be work that gets damaged. If a member wishes to bring in their own materials, glazes or any equipment into the Studio, this must first be cleared by a member of staff and stored in your personal storage area. Private glazes must be checked by the technician and be compatible with the kiln firing temperatures.
Members cannot bring guests into the Studio without the permission of Directors and Studio Manager. Guest passes are offered at the discretion of the Studio Director, with approved passes obtainable at an additional fee. Please contact the Studio Manager for more information.
Best practice should be adhered to at all times when working in the studio and respecting others is key.
Membership Shelving Area
Please respect other members space or need for privacy. Your storage belongs to you and we ask that you respect other members storage and private property.
You will be given your own shelf, which measures w100cm x d50cm x h50cm. We would recommend you do not leave any valuables or personal items. Please store your clay in your storage. Any extra unlabelled clay will be removed and recycled.
Studio Opening Times
Hours:
Monday Closed
Tuesday 9.30am–10pm
Wednesday 9.30am–10pm
Thursday 9.30am–10pm
Friday 9.30am–8pm
Saturday 10am–8pm
Sunday 10am–8pm
The Company reserves the right to vary opening times. Opening times will be detailed on the Website and will be updated from time to time. We ask that all visitors, students and members respect the Studio’s times and schedule.
The Studio will be closed for two weeks a year including a week over the Christmas holidays. The Company reserves the right in its sole and absolute discretion to close the Studio for additional periods.
Health and Safety
Studio Pottery London takes a diligent approach to health and safety for the sake of all staff and users. Students are agreeing to abide by the guidelines of our Health & Safety instructed by tutors, technicians and Management. Repeated failure to do so will result in termination of the students or Members participation rights on the course; without refund.
Members use the Studio at their own risk with awareness of the inherent hazards of a Studio environment; which include but are not limited to use of sharp tools and sharp edges, exposure to toxic materials, the dangers of using materials and equipment at high temperatures, as well as the risks associate with breathing silica dust.
Each Member is required to keep all surfaces clean of clay and glaze, and to clean all areas including the floor around his/her work station thoroughly before completing his/her session. This is to minimise the risks to Members caused by breathing clay and glaze dusts.
In the interests of safety and hygiene, no crockery, glass or food are permitted in the Studio. Other than with the exception of guide dogs, no pets are permitted in the Studio building.
Members must use the main entrance to the Studio when entering or leaving the Studio. Fire exits, which are clearly marked, are there in the interests of safety and Members and/or students must not interfere with these exits for any reason. All accessible route-ways must be kept clear at all times. In the event of a fire, Members are asked to make their way to the nearest available exit.
Drinking Alcohol and Smoking is forbidden in the Studio. Entering the Studio intoxicated on drugs or alcohol is forbidden and results in an end to contracts. Individuals who break these rules will be removed, suspended or terminated from the studio at the Management’s discretion.
Kiln Room Rules
The kiln room is strictly off limits to members, except for the following permitted uses;
- Placing work on designated glaze shelves.
- Using the grinder
- Using the spray booth
- Accessing the reclaim batts
The kiln room must not be accessed for any other reason.
Any member found interfering with or attempting to operate the kilns (as monitored by CCTV in the kiln room) will incur a £2,500 fine and may have their membership revoked.
Work must never be placed on top of kilns to dry, as this constitutes a serious fire hazard.
Our studio technicians are responsible for maintaining a safe and compliant working environment for everyone’s benefit. Please do ensure that you respect and follow these rules.
Technical issues and Breakages
Studio Pottery London is equipped with the highest quality kilns and equipment. Experienced and trained staff only will handle and fire your ceramic work.
You are not permitted in the kiln room, except through the glaze room to access the glaze shelves.
Other equipment must be requested by the technicians.
By the nature of ceramics there remains a risk of technical failure for which the Studio and trained staff cannot be held responsible.
We ask you not to fire work that you don’t want to keep: firing is an irreversible process and vitrified clay cannot be reclaimed or reused. Please be environmentally responsible.
If your piece gets broken we will look closely into it not happening again.
We estimate that only 0.2 percent of pieces get broken during our firings; however it does happen. If you find your piece broken, it should have a note explaining what happened. We have a form for you to fill in in these circumstances, which will help us to understand where problems are and improve processes. Please note that you should expect a 20% failure rate when making in ceramics, and factor this into any commissions you accept. There are many variables that can impact the success of a piece. Please ensure glaze application avoids melting or fusing onto the kiln shelf – ask technicians for relevant advice.
If you tamper with a kiln you are financially responsible for the repair.
Areas of the Studio
CLASS AREA
The ‘class area’ is to the right as you walk in. Please be conscious to be quiet and do your best to keep out of the class area during class.
MEMBERS’ AREA
The ‘members’ area’ is the workspace to the left as you walk in and the central library. No classes are held in this area and it is kept exclusively for members. The classroom is available to you at selected times, please refer to the Mindbody app.
KITCHENETTE
Members’ use of the kitchen is to be restricted to soft drinks only – filling water bottles and hot water. If you wish to make hot drinks, please bring in your own refreshments. Note, kitchen appliances are for staff use only. No food in the Studio.
LIBRARY
Our library comprises a core collection from Gregorys former pottery together with Lucy’s collection and magazines from Edmund de Waal Edmund de Waal.
THESE ARE ALL REFERENCE ONLY. Please feel free to use these, but do not take them out of the Studio. Any donations to the collection are welcomed.
TOILETS
There are two toilets, male and female.
There is an area for your coats and aprons by the kitchenette. Please try and avoid leaving mess around the classroom hooks. We would also ask that you do not leave anything in this area overnight, otherwise it becomes full of lost property and impossible to keep clean. We will remove anything left overnight in is kept for one month and then disposed of if not reclaimed. Ask Becky for lost property.
GLAZING AREA
Please use the glaze room for glazing as glaze materials contaminate clay. If you need to glaze while a class is on, please be respectful when walking through the class area, and please keep noise to a minimum while you work.
KILN AND FIRING SHELVES AREA
The kiln area is to the rear of the studio. Please do not enter this area except to access glazes shelves from the glaze room,or unless instructed to do so by one of our technicians, refer to board as to whom is on duty. Non-members and visitors are not allowed in the kiln area under any circumstances.
There are four specific shelving areas. Three outside the kiln room for: 1. leather hard or bone dry greenware, nothing wet. 2. bisque ware and 3 finished work. Inside the kiln room beside the glaze room entrance is the shelving for unfired glaze ware. Please take care to use the correct shelves to avoid kiln damage.
We operate a two-stage firing process and both the bisque (1,000o) and glaze (1,240o) firings are included in your membership, as are the studio glazes kept in the glaze area. This means that glaze can only be applied to bisqueware at Studio Pottery London. Please collect and remove all fired work within a week. It is to the discretion of the studio technicians to dispose of pieces which are not collected.
BISQUE FIRING
All greenware ready for firing should be clearly labelled with your initials so you and the technicians can easily identify it after it has been fired – if you use a symbol rather than a signature to mark your work, please tell a technician so we can add it to our list and identify it.
GLAZES AND GLAZE FIRING
Glaze must be applied correctly (to bisqueware only) and there should be at least half a centimetre clearance around the bottom of each item to avoid molten glaze running onto the kiln shelves. If you are using a runny glaze, please check with a technician first and use a kiln cookie. If you are not sure of something, ask a technician to help you.
Please do not mix or contaminate the glazes and if layering glazes, please dip from light to dark glaze in order to avoid contaminating the lighter glaze.
To protect the kilns and other people’s work, if you would like to buy glazes, stains etc. from another supplier it is extremely important that you check this with us first. Some substances, such as those containing chrome and tin, can cause work to discolour. Also, if you wish to mix your own glazes they must be test fired and approved by a technician before use in a communal firing.
It is your responsibility to leave the glaze area clean and tidy. Please keep all electrics away from the sink. This is very dangerous.
KILN BATTS & LIABILITY FOR SHELF DAMAGE
Any shelf damage caused by use of the wrong clay or incorrect application of glaze is your responsibility. Work that causes shelf damage will be kept in the office for pick up and a shelf damage fee will be added. These are £120 per shelf depending on the extent of the damage. Please note that the damage fee is due whether you choose to keep the work or not.
Non-plagiarism and originality clause
The Potter agrees that all work created within the Studio must be their own original work. Copying, reproducing, or closely imitating the artwork, designs, techniques, or signature styles of other potters or artists working in the Studio (or elsewhere) is strictly prohibited.
The Potter may seek inspiration from shared learning, demonstrations, and general ceramic practice; however, any work produced must represent the Potter’s own independent creative expression.
Any breach of this clause may result in the Studio requiring the Potter to cease production of the infringing work, remove the work from the premises, or, in serious or repeated cases, termination of membership or access to the Studio.
Guidelines Concerning Artistic Integrity:
- The Studio and its members recognise the positive elements of sharing learning, resources, materials and techniques within the shared communal space whilst respecting specific artistic techniques and applications developed by individual members.
- This means that the direct replication and sale of another maker’s artistic aesthetic within the same space and elsewhere is discouraged.
- If a member wishes to replicate another’s work or design, permission should be sought from the original creator.
- The Studio encourages a professional and ethical standard for its members which fosters creativity rather than imitation.
- Every member is encouraged to respect the integrity of each member and to take responsibility for behaving in this appropriate professional and ethical manner.
- Mutual respect and courtesy in communication underpin all relationships within the shared environment of the Studio for the common good.
Prolific Makers
Ceramics is an expensive process and we try hard to keep the costs down. We price the classes based on an estimated output to remain sustainable as a business. We do not like to cap people’s creativity, but due to very limited shelf and kiln space the Studio reserves the right to revise and amend class output, materials and equipment.
You will be asked to select your preferred pieces for firing, glazing etc. if you exceed the number of items specified by your tutor. All other items will be recycled by the Studio.
Work should be collected from fired shelves within seven days. Any work that is left for longer may incur a storage fee charge of £15 a day.
Studio Staff, Processes and Equipment
OFFICE TEAM – Studio Management
There will be a member of the office team in the back of the studio during the hours 10 to 5 on Tuesday to Friday. These are the people to talk to about your contract or if you have an issue in the studio.
Lucy Attwood is Studio Director, Gregory Tingay the Artist Director, and Becky Harle, Studio Manager.
STUDIO TECHNICIANS -Technical
Our studio technicians Omer Oner and Lara Dent run the studio processes, from packing the kilns to emptying the clay traps. They are also available to answer your questions and help get you clay, sign out equipment, give inductions etc. If you want help, please go to them rather than our Artist Director, Gregory.
OFFICE AND STORAGE ROOMS
The door opposite the kiln rooms is the Studio Pottery London Office and a storage area. Please do not go in there unless invited by a member of staff. Please also respect our Studio Manager Becky’s space in the library.
CLAY
We only fire stoneware and porcelain in the communal firings and only clay bought from us, or approved by us, can be fired at the studio. This is in order to prevent the wrong clay getting into the kilns and causing damage. If you would like to use a different stoneware it is extremely important that you speak to us first so that we can check it is compatible with our firing process.
(If you fire a clay body in the studio that doesn’t fire to our temperatures and it causes damage, you will be liable for the cost of replacing the damaged part. This is potentially expensive as each kiln shelf costs £120 to replace. Please test fire all clay you use).
TOOLS
We provide banding wheels/whirlers to members as it has proved hard to keep track of them (some members have kept them on their shelves between sessions as they develop their work.)
The studio provides some ware boards and plaster moulds for use by members. Please make sure you clean them after use.
Please respect the belongings of your fellow members and do not borrow any tools or equipment from your fellow members shelves.
WHEELS
Please be aware that pottery wheels have very powerful motors that can centre 50kg of clay, and in the event that your hair got caught in the wheel head, you could have a serious accident.
***Please tie long hair back when using the wheel, make sure your apron straps are tied back and you are not wearing any long, loose clothing such as a scarf. Also, if you are throwing with a batt please make sure you know how to secure it to the wheel safely and securely. If you are not sure about this, please check with a technician.
It is important that, as the wheels can generate a lot of splashed clay, all throwing areas and tools are thoroughly cleaned after use, including the sides of the wheels, the stools, the work shelves, and the floor all around the wheel. This is to prevent clay splashes from drying and causing dust.
Please turn wheels off after use – they can cause a serious accident if someone doesn’t realise they are on and they continue to draw power, even when not in use.
Copyright
Photos taken at the Studio may be published to our website, social media or other material. Should you wish to not have your image shared publicly, please ensure that you inform the Studio Manager.
Membership Payment Terms
Each Member accepts and acknowledges that by agreeing to their contracted Membership Period, they are being given rates tailored to their contract choice by the Company and that therefore it is fair and reasonable that the Member is liable in full for their contracted payments.
Subject to any right of the Company to cancel or suspend the Membership, the Membership will continue indefinitely unless and until a Member terminates their Membership by written request to the Company. One clear calendar months’ notice of the desired termination date is requisite, which must be no earlier than the end of the Term of their current contract. No refunds shall be given to any Member in respect of any Membership fees that have already been paid, in lieu of cancellation prior to the end date of their Membership. Members must clear their shelf within a week of the cancellation date. If a Member’s shelf is not cleared one week after the membership cancellation date, the Studio will sadly have to dispose of all uncollected contents, unless arranged otherwise in advance with the Studio Manager.
If a Member does not pay their monthly Membership fees for their contracted Membership then the Member is liable to pay in full for the remaining payments owing to the Studio for the entirety of their contract term. It is the responsibility of the Member to cancel any direct debit or standing order with their bank on termination of their Membership. The Company cannot be held liable for any payments processed due to the failure of a Member to cancel a direct debit or standing order.
If the Membership fees are paid by debit or credit card (or any Membership fees remain outstanding beyond the due date) the Member unconditionally and irrevocably authorises the Company to debit any credit or debit card provided by the Member with the monthly Membership fee (or any outstanding fees) without prior notice to the Member.
Memberships, once the contract is started, are non-transferable and cannot be shared. Members have a set firing allowance, according to the discretion of the studio, included in their monthly fee as well as access to studio glazes. Firing by any Member beyond the Studio’s discretional firing allowance requires consultation with the Studio Manager to arrange a further contributory fee.
Use of facilities
Children under the age of 16 may only use the Studio at the notification and approval of the Studio Management.
Collection of Works
You will be emailed by the Studio when your pieces are ready for collection, usually this is within three to four weeks after the date of your class, but this can take longer depending on the Studio’s kiln firing scheduling.
We request that you collect your finished work as soon as possible once you have received the pickup instructions via email to help keep our storage area clear, therefore avoiding damage. Students will be given 3 months to collect their work from the Studio.
If finished ceramic work is not collected within 3 months of the end of the course we will sadly have to dispose of it.
Coronavirus -Covid 19 Guidelines
Operators will comply with any health designation documentation that the Government implements. If you are feeling unwell with the symptoms of COVID you must stay at home and please kindly inform us if you have the virus. Employees will need our support (as an employer) to adhere to recommendations to stay at home to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) to others and work mates.
Data Protection
Any personal information you give to us will be processed in accordance EU GDPR. We will use the information to process your booking, to provide the course and to inform you about similar courses which we provide, unless you tell us that you do not want to receive this information. More details can be found in our Privacy Policy.
Applicable Law and Jurisdiction
These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with English law and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them shall be settled by the English courts.
